GRAND CEAT-SLADA CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDSONDECEMBER7

The 2013 motor racing season’s grand finalé -- the CEAT SLADA Championship Awards Night -- takes place on Saturday, December 7, bringing to a close a year of hi-octane competition supported by Sri Lanka’s leading tyre maker CEAT Kelani Holdings.

The cream of the country’s racing drivers and riders will be honoured with 12 supporting and four main championship awards at this gala event at the Golden Rose Ballroom, Boralesgamuwa.

Performances at six major race meets, the Foxhill Supercross, Cavalry Supercross, Gajaba Supercross, Gunners Supercross, Sigiriya and Rotherham Circuit Meet at Katukurunda are considered for the CEAT SLADA Championship Awards.

This is the fourth successive year that the CEAT Kelani is supporting the apex event to recognise champion racing drivers and riders in Sri Lanka.

“Our commitment to motor racing in Sri Lanka has been acknowledged as one of the principal contributors to the growth and development of the sport,” CEAT Kelani Managing Director and CEO Raman Rajagopalan said. “Success comes from dedication to performance and safety, a passion to excel, and the courage to challenge the limits. These are qualities embedded in CEAT’s credo, which is why CEAT is delighted to continue its association with motor sports in Sri Lanka in partnership with SLADA.”

Established by a team of driv- ers, riders and officials to take motor sports in Sri Lanka to the next generation, SLADA has introduced the latest technology in timing and equipment to meet the demands of this rapidly changing sport. To ensure that race events are a success, SLADA has representatives from the Sri Lanka Army and the Sri Lanka Air Force on its executive committee, a first for any racing association in the country.

This year’s race meets were professionally conducted with the assistance of two experienced racing clubs, the Ceylon Motor Sports Club (CMSC) and the Motor Racing Association (MRA) in conjunction with which the SLADA meets were held.

The timing programme was given live coverage on a display in the paddocks for the first time this year. SLADA President Yoga Perera said the Association hopes to improve this fur- ther in 2014 by developing an app to check on competitor performances, event schedules and entry forms and to feed in the latest news from SLADA.

“Additionally, in 2014 we will replace the Marshall flags with digital LED light systems as done in most international circuits,” Mr Perera said. “Plans are also in place for the improvement of technology to minimise paper work, and for the convenience of competitors. A new camera system with continuous recording to cover the entire track will be installed as well.”

Besides its sponsorship of the CEAT SLADA Championship and its support to the race meets conducted by the Sri Lanka Army and the Sri Lanka Air Force, CEAT also fields its own racing team at many of these meets, supporting and encouraging individual drivers to improve on their performances.